Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-08-20
A VILLAGE SCANDAL.

"I DO not believe Mw sasd Mira Grant,
"Ru, whss svssy ybody says must b true"
~ no snsans" ssid Helen Grant "Oac:
sveryboiy said .hs earth was nss nov ~esA
sHcsss mr. yourself "rsscstsd Mrs Jeffrey.
II I don't know Ma round, but I'm willing 70
belisvs Il on good evldencA Tnen. heavoo,
I'm not 20 ssaSe"rn .s .nSs a. ~ ccu S us,c".S ~
thing oven II don't see y"
MIA 0rant Aushed . littie and tears came
shs l. my friend. and love her dearly"
che said. "ahs has saults---evsry one ocn
go that but this wicked, shameful story,
simply cannot telieve II Oh, Mn. Jeffrey,
con you not seo that II h . matter Of co.,
science with mo - we'll % with you"
MrA Jeffrey, . little ashamsd bat Of the
same opinion still, rose N IN
"lf the matter II brought up IN the church,
you will then hear oil the eviden0o AftsI
y!.a; ycn ::: :" tho letter you may change your
Pine Falls was convulssti over ID ans scan.
daL Tho tongue nj censure, that he'd family
reproved when AbrAm II .rris he'd carried his
mother OIL to the pOOrhOus~, aud INDUCED In
audible criticisms when Lsurs COwl0s he'd
been baptisei In tho river and died Of inflsm.
mstory rheumatism . week aftorWerd, he'd
now broken silsnce and carried the seosy
nom house to house until II IVES ON every
K msnis Tor visiting seemed 70 have
broken out among tho isdiea Half Odozeu
bundle Of knitting or crochst 10 hand, going
70 make informsl visits ov calls ct the h0m q
Of their tntimato friends OF near ueighbors.
TO ?: sur: !, sscS isdy ws: very Ps.sicSlafS S sc
promised Mrs. 10 snd ~ . nav stitch or pat
torn, or she had beeu intending 70 take her
work and "run In" 70 ~ MIA Such . one
for six months or moro II was really
shame 10 neglect ones neighbors ~
Mira Jeffrey and MIRA Martin we're seated
on the back porch OF the Jeffrey mansion, On.
gagged In earnest and confidential 0onyoSsA.
tiOn. Overhead In the apple tree tho robin
sang unheard. On the floor . m!schievou.
ssphyr, tangliug the thread uuheedsd, while
her crochet work lay idly In her lap
"She always did seem frivolous 70 ma"
remarked Mira Jeffrey. NO care Of her
house, no interest in domestic mstssrA
womsn's hiding . God.gtvsn talent under
. buahel, and smOtheTing her genius under
domestic drudRery; but Ivo noticed that the
women who arc domestic and take an inter.
est In their homes arc not the women who
figure In scandal cases or elopemeuta."
!" Perhaps" replied Mira Martin, who was
not ~ cOnsor vative ~ her neighbOr, 'rhore's
great deal OF human nature In women -
In soms one thing besides houssk coping.
With S0me It In painting, with others music,
others fancy work or religion. I've known
women who wsre really diasipatod, you
might say, In religious work; they carried II
10 such unreasonable iongthA You and ],
not being gifted In aoy Of these directions
have gone on In plain, quiet homo lita But
We must not on that accouDS md fault with
thOee who see lite from different standpoint
or call them frivolous because they take IN
Ina is, nUs knP Mpa
Downs WAS always fond Of dross aud fancy
work, but until this story came out every
body seemed u like her."
swell, you can say what you please" re-
woman behaves herself, nhs WON'T 10 talked
about The most shameful part Of the whole
affair IN her assumed Innocence. l saw her
myself walking the streets with Mr.. Cotton
only last evening, NJ cool - you please. II
there's = man In ihis village that l pity, Ne
Jack Downs"
The next day was sunday. and the minis-
tor, Mr.. Snow, look cd around as the rapidly
iiiing pews with fssIing os Oslm compile
pectancy, and when JSk Owns entered
win his pretty wiIe s'gnlhcans looks we're
exchanged and . suppressed sensati0n Was
Visible throughout the sudisnc6.
Youthful aud pretty, she added to these a.
fractions by y taste In dress that was simply
perfect AZ she came slowly up tho aisls
tWtrling her fan nonchslsntiy, whispered
comments passed from one 70 Iother.
Elbow hTaxsn DID you ever s80 such o.
fronlery ?" murmured Mis- Dorr 10 MrA
CoWieA
"Shs's . plucky little piece y said Mr..
Martin to his wI'e, In tone In which surprise
Wss 30 evidently favored with admiration,
that his better half bestowed ON him glance
"What aSdac,ty !" said Mrs. Brown 70 her
daughter Cora
nut that young lady, who rejoiced In the
distinction OF being the village po-tsas. was
wrapped In poetic cOntem pisIion. She knew
thst Mrs Downs had fallen under public
disapprObation because OF love letter thAt
hsd 6esn found by some one, addressed to
her and In MIR. Colton's hand. writing.
Other people ssw the r0prehenslb6 mar.
r,ed iiirt cepiing protsstations OF love from
. gentleman acquaintance Not ~ Mis-
Cora This Byronic state OF affairs did not
% much shCck her moral s6nsibillttss, - II
presented q theme for her muse r. portray
the agOniss OF misplaced affection. viewing
the whole matter simply ~ IN abstraction,
abe surreptitiously drew ont her lynn book
aud sIyly pencilsd on the margin;
Let tho cold world dsiide me.
lwil but love thee more.
Whatever fate betide thee
Here she stopped, the only rhyme that sug
uenled itself being "gOr6" Struggling with
the situation, she had just changed the line
~ vii, not shed thy gors," TO "My heart bu
BY the sound Of Mr.. SHOWS voice - hs hn'
ishsd reading the usual list Of nOticeA
"a most painful circumstance having
arisen, that seriously affects us ~ . commu-
nifty ~ we'll M = oOngreg alton, since II Coun
priaes the good names ri two OF our mem
bers, feel II . duty to afford an opportunity
for tuii EXPLANATION. The con ODgrsgatiOn u
, invited to meet Vt the parsOnsg0 TO- morrow
evening at 8 o'clock. 1 hope that every mem
ber OF this congregation Will be present
Alter that 1t msttsrsd little whether th'
sermon Was Q marvel Of briliiAncy or the dul
lest disquisitiOn that ever boz 0d = long suffer
Ing audience No one paid the slightest sl
tsntiOn 10 II, except old Major Dorr, wh
Wsn so deaf that he only caught about on
word In ten, aud had thus missed the stOr,
OF the love letter that the sch0Ol-ieAcher hsl
written IN MrG DOwns.
After the conclusion OF the services, Mr.
C0vlsR, Mira Brown, Mira Martin and Mi
jeffrey stopped In the sisls for moment
confer enOe
al shall take Beatrice Cenci out OF th
school," said Mira Jeffrey. " No child OF min
email be under the instruction OF teache
who writes lOve-letters to.s msYried woman.
Sand to think that Mr.. SNOW should at
tempt 70 cover II up and excuse It" adde
Mrs COWlea. 81 don't know but We 0hal
he obliged to withdraw from the church. N
husband thinks thore 10 great deal OF COL
ruptiOu among ministers themselves now
dayA"
Certainly no ono was better able 10 dete'
corruption any whore than Mr.. Cowles, II ha